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  #11  
Old 11-12-2013, 08:23 PM
Gary in Illinois Gary in Illinois is offline
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Default 20 gauge slug loads

My apologies - I guess I missed this while on vacation. I cast Lyman 20 gauge slugs weighing 350 grains in pure lead that have proven to be very accurate in 4 different H & R Ultra Slug Guns. These are the 20 gauge break open single shot guns made from 12 gauge barrel stock and are heavy little beasts but they shoot lights out.

My brother does the loading (I don't load shotgun shells, as long as he will ) His notes on the box are as follows: 250 grain pure lead Lyman slugs with 21.0 grains of Universal Clays in AA hulls (originally loaded with 2 1/2 dr of powder and 7/8 oz of #8 shot). Velocity of the slugs is recorded as 1,415 FPS. There is no mention of the wads / shot cups but I believe he cut the "fingers" off to allow crimping with a "star" crimp to close the end of the shell. He and his sons and a friend have used these exclusively for several years to harvest quite a few Illinois deer in recent years. He says they shoot better from these guns than any of the many brands and types of commercial slug loads he has tried.

He shoots them into a group that clover-leafs 3 shots at 50 yards. Hope this helps and isn't too late. We did try linotype slugs from the same mold but they fragmented on the targets!! (May be a little too hard!)
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  #12  
Old 11-12-2013, 10:47 PM
260Ackley 260Ackley is offline
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Thanks for the reply. Better late then never. I haven't cast any slugs yet. Have all the stuff just ran out of time. Between my thirld child being born this summer and waterfowl and archery I haven't had much time on the bench. I bought more hornady SST to get me through this season with the hopes of developing a load this summer.
I also use an h & r slug gun and hope to mirror your results. I will post any updates as I get them.
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  #13  
Old 11-13-2013, 02:55 AM
Gary in Illinois Gary in Illinois is offline
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Default Lyman 20 gauge slug loads

Just returned from traveling 3+ hours to and from a wake with my brother and he corrected some of my (mis)information about his 20 gauge slug loads. He did NOT trim the fingers from the shot cup but used a Double A shot cup (or if needed, an F1 shot cup) that did fit and allowed crimping the finished slug shell properly.

He did say that careful attention was needed when inserting and seating the slug into the shot cup to avoid folding the fingers under the slug and that he lubricated the slug with dry graphite to ease insertion into the shot cup. He also said that allowing a finger to fold under the slug while seating would destroy accuracy.

I believe the rest of the information was correct. Hope this helps!
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  #14  
Old 11-13-2013, 11:14 AM
Alan in GA Alan in GA is offline
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Default well, 20 is smaller gauge than 12 so.....

sounds like an acceptable topic for SCN to me!
Those H&R slug barrels seem like a fun project, IF you can get accuracy. Although I love to take deer with rifles, and even bows [bow only for last 7 years], I took my very first 2 deer with a 12 ga slug and know that it hammers the heck out of a lung shot deer! I can accept that the 12 gauge is a bit overkill and always wondered about those neat rifled H & R barrels for the 20 ga.
Got any pictures, target results?? Back in 1967 all I had that I can remember were 'rifled slugs' that whistled through the air like a laundry basket held outside a car window at 70 mph.... : )
They also KICKED like heck but sure plowed a 'daylight visible thru hole' in a deer if you didn't blink.
I enjoyed owning and playing with about 6 or 7 [?] Handi rifles at the mercy of friends that would scoff at 'those cheap pieces of c- - p' rifles. I took a 'double does' as well one chilly morning using a very accurate 30/30 Ackley Improved Handi rifle. Not sure why some think it's hard to do. Just insert one or two extra cartridges between fingers of the hand holding the forend. Shoot, open/extract/load,...could probably shoot as many deer in seconds if desired depending on how many rounds you could hold between your fingers!
Pictures man, pictures!!

Last edited by Alan in GA; 11-13-2013 at 11:16 AM.
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  #15  
Old 11-13-2013, 04:33 PM
260Ackley 260Ackley is offline
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I dont have pictures handy but I've taken 6 or 7 animals in the past few years with that little 20. Last year I shot a 175 lb black bear, and the biggest buck of my life a 12pt with 18" spread. Both were shot from the same stand 5 minutes apart. Both ran no more then 30 yds and expired quickly. I shot a double doe last thanksgiving with it as well. I made an elastic shell holder, and hooked it around the action in between the scope mounts. It holds 2 extra shells and is fast to reload. Both were shot from the same little herd of deer. I love the gun, very accurate. Mine is the ultra light I put some lead in the stock to get up to 7lbs with scope. Recoil is mild with 2 3/4" hornady sst.
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  #16  
Old 12-08-2013, 03:05 PM
260Ackley 260Ackley is offline
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Update. Well I never got around to casting these slugs. Life got busy with the birth of my third child so I figured I would roll with my hornady SST that worked okah the last two seasons. Had the worst deer season ever. Sat a week straight before even seeing one deer and that was just a quick tail. Week two last day I can hunt I have a doe at 30 yds. Pull the hammer back pull the trigger and click no go. Pull it again click. I've got a dud. Jack another round in and they run off. I've never had a reload not go off. If it was my own loading I would be eating back straps. Not happy with a factory round that costs 3 dollars and won't go off. That was the end of the NY season for me. I guess what they say is true. Procrastination is much like masturbation. Its all good and fun till you realize your just screwing your self......
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  #17  
Old 12-11-2013, 03:56 AM
AzSam AzSam is offline
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I have not used the 20ga mould, however I have dabbled with the 12ga version. Just a couple of suggestions:

1. Fill the base of the slug, I use hot glue. This prevents the wad from pushing up into the skirt and staying attached to the slug. This can vary from shot to shot, and will vary as to how far out the wad will remain attached. Not good for decent accuracy.

2. Trim the wad petals so that they are even with and do not extend beyond the nose of the slug. This will keep the petals out of the crimp.

I have had 25yd groups from the bench that are just one big hole, 50yds between 3"-4", and 6"ish at a 100yds. 870 Rem, 19" bbl with rifled Rem choke, Tru-glo front and rear sights. Yes, shooting this child of un-wed parents from the bench does get my attention.

3. Use published load data (from Lyman). It is not a wise to venture out on ones own. 10-11,000 psi is tops for a smooth bore, and has mentioned above, the wrong component combo will cause problems, quickly.

Hope this helps. Have fun....

Michael
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  #18  
Old 01-18-2014, 09:22 PM
Daryl Daryl is offline
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I'm guessing you are talking about the standard Foster Slugs, not the Sabot slug moulds from Lyman- both 20 and 12 bore.

The Sabot moulds (which are reported to be very accurate) are designed to case slugs to fit inside field wads, thus there is no problem with wads being shoved up into their bases.

The 12 bore sabot slugs actually measure .69cal. or approximately 14 bore - still a good size and run 525gr. in pure, or 506gr. in WW alloy.

If you have not tried round balls, do not discard them out of hand. My testing in a 12 bore double (smooth) with 24" cylinder tubes gave me 10" offhand accuracy at 10 meters. I used a WW wad gas check (cut from the bottom of range salvage trap wads). 1 cup down on the powder, inner fibre wad, then another cup-up under the almost bore sized ball. The cup held the ball in the middle of the bore (takes the rifling in a rifled bore to spin the ball) and delivers it centred.

In my rifled Mossy, they are very accurate and give me 1" groups on centres at 50 yards off bags. I've some Long Shot and "Steel" for further testing at higher speeds. Apparently the Mossberg's rifled barrel, with "Steel" powder, can drive 500gr. to 600gr. bullets or balls upwards of 2,000fps with safe pressures. Should be good for bears, in camp - HA!

I should add, that some of the guys with 20 bore ML's, used 20 gauge shot cups loading 2, .58 calibre round balls inside with a card overshot wad over their top - for moose to GOOD effect. I would assume loaded in a 3" 20 bore load and a long 3" wad, 3 balls could easily be loaded - but that would mean close to 85gr. lead. 2 balls would be from 550gr. to 570gr. depending on their actual diameter.

A Canadian fellow named Jeff White has Ed Huble's 12 bore special wads for loading any .58 calibre slug - mostly black powder Minnie balls from 440gr. to 600gr.- for rifled barrels, of course.
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Last edited by Daryl; 01-18-2014 at 09:28 PM.
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